Lost Along the Way
by xxstaindrosesxx
Summary: After the death of his brother and quitting his job, Percy Weasley headed back to the Burrow, only to be reunited with an old childhood friend that left around the time that he was going to go to Hogwarts. While he's there, he gets to catch up with her.
1. Chapter 1: I'll See You Again

Two eleven year-old children ran through the long green grass of the hill. The children frolicked as they enjoyed the hot summer day. The sun shined brightly upon them as they sat down in the grass, taking a rest from all of their playing.

These two children were the best of friends for years now. They had played together when they were even younger then eleven years old. Their parents had remembered the two playing together in their diapers, but now their friendship would change.

"Annie. Do you think we will see each other again?" The ginger-haired boy asked as he picked at the grass around him.

"I think we will." The girl with honey-blonde hair replied, a smile on her face as if she truly believed it.

The boy did not look at her like he believed she would never return. "Tell me again why you can't go to Hogwarts." He demanded, looking for a glimpse of hope.

"Because mum and I are going to live in France so I can attend Beauxbatons." Annie explained, sounding excited to go somewhere different.

The boy continued to look sad as he stood up. The grass where he sat had become flat and the same applied to the girl as she followed in suit with standing up. "Promise me we will see each other again." The red-haired boy requested, as he looked his friend in the eyes.

"I promise." She replied, smiling and embracing him in a hug. He returned the gesture as he gave her a quick squeeze.

Annie pulled away and the boy studied her one last time. The wind blew hard, causing the grass around them to sway and her long blond hair to swirl around herself. She brushed some of the loose hair behind her ear as the two stood there. This image imprinted in the boy's mind, as he would always remember her this way.

"I better go." The little blonde girl suggested. She gave him a little peck on the cheek before she ran off.

The boy touched his fingers to his cheek as he blushed. He watched Annie disappear over a big hill, which divided the property between their homes. Little did he know, it would be another twelve years before he laid eyes on her again.

***

The ginger-haired boy had now become a tall lanky man in the form of Percy Weasley. He had changed over the years, most obvious by the facial hair and deeper voice. He had also turned his back on his family for almost three years. This all changed when the Ministry of Magic became corrupted by Death Eaters under Voldemort's command and when the Battle of Hogwarts occurred. He had returned to fight alongside his family, but he never made peace with one of them. His brother Fred had died, and the images still haunted him. In a way, he blamed himself for Fred's death.

Now, Percy stood at the doorstep of the Burrow; the home he had lived at for seventeen years. He needed a place to stay because it had been difficult to make a living after he quit his job at the Ministry. He had worked temporary jobs just to make some money for rent and food, but the jobs didn't pay well, and usually the work seemed awful. The jobs varied from working in shops, record keeping at the Ministry, and even walking dogs for muggles. Now, two years after the battle, he could not afford the rent for his flat, yet alone food to ease his hunger.

Percy didn't apparate inside the Burrow because he did not want to intrude. Even though he had made peace with his family, they still remembered how he disowned them. Therefore, he knocked on the front door and waited patiently for someone to answer.

After a few seconds, Mrs. Weasley, the woman of the household and his mother, answered the door. Her eyes lit up with warmth and joy at the sight of her son. "Hello dear!" she exclaimed, but her eyes slowly gazed at his luggage and boxes surrounding him on the ground. "What is going on?"

Percy felt ashamed of himself because he couldn't afford to live on his own and he needed to ask his parents for help. "I need help." He replied feeling embarrassed.

Molly Weasley smiled sweetly at him. "Of course dear. Come in and we will talk." She offered, gesturing him to come inside by stepping away from the door.

Percy stepped inside and pulled out his wand. He used his wand to levitate his luggage and boxes inside, setting them down against the wall in a neat pile near the door. Afterwards, his mother closed the door. "Would you like some tea while we talk?" Mrs. Weasley asked thoughtfully.

Percy nodded. "Yes please." He replied, not forgetting his manors.

"Alright dear. Have a seat at the kitchen table." Mrs. Weasley requested before heading to the kitchen and grabbing her teakettle. She filled it with cold water from the faucet as Percy quietly sat down at the table.

Mrs. Weasley heated the teakettle on her stove. While she waited, she grabbed two teacups, saucers, and spoons from a cabinet. She also found a canister of tea, taking a spoonful of the powder for each cup.

After a few minutes, the teakettle whistled loudly. Mrs. Weasley turned off the stove and proceeded to pour some of the hot water into each teacup. Then, she put the teakettle back on the stove, but on a cold burner. After this, she stirred the water, mixing the powder in it and creating tea. She left the individual spoons in each teacup as she brought them over to the table.

The teacups rested firmly in their saucers as Mrs. Weasley placed them carefully on the table. One rested in front of her son, the other in front of herself. She sat across the table from him as they both raised the tea to their lips, taking a sip and letting the hot liquid tingle their bodies with warmth.

Mrs. Weasley set her teacup back on the saucer. "Please tell me what you need." She requested with softness in her voice.

The two continued to drink their tea as Percy explained everything. He discussed his various temp jobs, his lack of money, and his need for a place to stay. Mrs. Weasley's face looked horrified at some of his stories. "Of course you can stay here." She offered.

Percy smiled. "Thanks mum. I'll give you money if I work any temp jobs." He offered kindly.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "There is no need dear. You can have your old room back," she offered. "Go on and settle in."

Percy nodded and headed upstairs to his usual room he had lived in before abandoning his family. He opened the door and noticed his room changed greatly. In fact, a woman stood in the middle of the room and she turned around at the sound of him entering.

The woman, who looked at him, gave him a confused look, which also appeared on Percy's face. "Excuse you. Don't you know how to knock?" The woman who looked around the same age as Percy asked rudely.

Percy seemed shocked. "Well, this is my room." He stated.

"Apparently not, if I'm living in it now." The woman stated.

Percy wanted to respond, but his mother appeared at the doorway. She looked at the expressions on both of their faces. "I'm so sorry Annabelle," apologized Mrs. Weasley. "It's been so quiet around here so I forgot to tell my son you have been living here. If you'll just excuse us."

Annabelle nodded as Mrs. Weasley gestured for her son to come back downstairs. Percy took one last glance at the woman in his room before following his mother downstairs.

Percy felt extremely confused at this point, yet relieved he did not take his things upstairs yet. His mother turned to face him once they stood on the main floor. "I'm sorry dear," apologized Mrs. Weasley. "It's been so quiet here since you all moved out so I forgot to tell you Annabelle is living here."

Percy didn't understand why this woman lived here now and why she lived in his room. "Well why does she live here and why is she living in my room?" He asked, the arrogant side of Percy coming through.

"She needed help of course. I would give you details, but it's not really my place dear," explained his mother. "I just chose your room because I never thought you would come back to stay."

Those words stung Percy slightly. He knew his mother had every right to say them since they were true. "What room should I stay in then?" He asked.

Mrs. Weasley looked at her son sweetly. "Bill or Charlie's room would do fine," she answered. "George, Ron, and Ginny still stay once in a while."

"Thanks mum." Percy said, expressing his gratitude.

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "It's no trouble dear."

Percy walked to the base of the stairs, but he turned around to ask his mother a question. "Can the woman living here be trusted since we don't know her?"

"His mother gave him a toothy grin. "But we do know her son." She replied.

Percy looked confused as if he might scratch his head. "We do?" He asked.

Molly Weasley nodded her head as she smiled. "Yes. She's Annie."

Percy thought quietly for a moment and then his eyes became wide. "You mean the Annie I played with when I was growing up?" He asked slightly in shock.

"His mother nodded. "Yes dear," she replied. "Now go unpack and you can say hi to her later."

Percy nodded with a blank look on his face. He never thought he would see Annie, the little blonde-haired girl, ever again. Now she lived in the same place he would be living. He pulled out his wand, flicked it at his belongings, and they followed him up the stairs. He made his way to Charlie's old room and set down his possessions. He began to unpack, thinking of the eleven-year-old girl with honey-blonde hair blowing in the breeze.


	2. Chapter 2: Filling In Twelve Years

Percy continued to unpack as he still thought of Annie. He remembered when they were younger and would play together. The two of them would always bug his older brothers, Bill and Charlie. The cycle continued since Fred and George, who were two years younger, would always bug them as well. Sometimes they would all play together, but most of the time it was just Percy and Annie because they were like two peas in a pod.

Percy sighed as he placed some books on his dresser. He remembered how Annie promised they would see each other again. To be honest, he really didn't think about her much over the last twelve years. The first couple of years after she had left were hard sometimes because he didn't understand and he wanted to share Hogwarts with her. After those first couple of years, he started to make his permanent friends at Hogwarts so only certain things would remind him of Annie.

Now, Percy felt more confused then ever. He didn't understand why of all the times they were meeting again it was now. It had been twelve years, and all of a sudden, there she appeared. The sudden appearance made the memories flood back into his mind and it caused him to think about the memories as he unpacked.

The memories also made Percy think about other things as well. He knew twelve years changes a person. Twelve years seemed like more than enough time to break the heart, wound the soul, and damage a person for good. Percy knew time had done this to him. He knew he could never be the same Percy, Annie once knew. He assumed the same applied to her so he didn't understand why it had to be now of all times to see her again.

Percy still unpacked, shoving some clothes into his dresser drawer. He heard a knock on his door and he turned around to see Annie entering. "Oh hey." He said, turning back around and putting more clothes away.

"Hey," she replied. "Listen, you can have your old room back if you want. I could move into a different one." She offered.

Percy turned around, feeling shocked at her sudden hospitality. "It's fine." He assured her. He really didn't mind. He just felt relieved to have a place to stay.

"Alright. Do you need some help unpacking though?" She asked thoughtfully.

"No. I'm okay. I would like to know why you didn't just tell me whom you were when I came into your room?" He asked curiously.

Annie stood silent for a moment. She looked down for a moment and then back up at him. "I wasn't sure who you were with all the brothers you have. Plus, I wasn't sure you remembered me." She explained truthfully.

Percy nodded. "I guess that makes sense. I remembered you. I just didn't recognize you," he stated. "Twelve years changes a person."

Annie looked at him more intently. "It sure does." She added.

Percy looked at her, studying how she had changed. She grew taller and filled out, but she still remained shorter than Percy. Her honey-blonde hair remained the same along with her emerald green eyes. They were unusual for someone with blonde hair. Most people with blonde hair had blue, hazel, or brown eyes, but Annie's were green. They always stood out in Percy's mind. He imagined them as the window to her soul, but as he looked into her eyes, he could tell her soul had changed in those twelve years without her. However, Percy knew his eyes revealed the same change.

Annie smiled at Percy as she noticed him looking at her. "What?" She asked, wondering what he thought.

He looked down but smiled. "Nothing. I just thought we could get a cup of coffee." He suggested.

Annie smiled wider. "That would be great." She replied.

"Great. We can catch up. I know a place so I can apparate us there." He explained, holding out his hand.

"Alright." She said, taking his hand.

Percy pulled out his wand as he thought of the little coffee shop he wanted to go to. He flicked his wand and then the two of them felt like every fiber of their being had been pulled in every direction. Then, the two appeared in the coffee shop with a loud pop.

The people in the coffee shop didn't even glance at them. Obviously the coffee shop belonged to the wizarding world since nobody seemed startled by the sudden appearance. Annie looked around, as she had never been there before. She noticed the quaint little tables with matching chairs. Everything appeared in different hues of brown, some dark and some light. Various people were scattered around drinking coffee, reading or talking to others as the variety of weird coffee machines made loud noises.

The two of them found a table near the window where the sun's rays came through. A woman came over in a brown apron, which matched the decor of the coffee shop. "What can I get you?" She asked politely.

Annie looked to Percy since she had never been to this particular coffee shop before. "I don't know what to order since I've never been here before." She explained.

Percy grinned. "Well, they have a trademark coffee," he explained. "It's what I usually get."

"That sounds fine," replied Annie. "I guess we will each have your trademark coffee." She said, turning to the woman.

The woman nodded. "Coming right up." She said before leaving them.

Annie glanced around to look at all the people before facing Percy again. "So you've been here before?" She asked curiously.

Percy nodded. "Yes. It's just a little ways from the Ministry so I used to come here when I worked there." He explained.

"You worked at the Ministry?" She asked, seeming interested.

"Yes. I assisted the Minister of Magic. That is until the battle at Hogwarts." He explained.

Just then, the woman came back with their coffee. She set a small cup down in front of them. "Enjoy." She said before leaving again.

Annie looked down at her coffee as she wondered why it claimed the name of their trademark coffee. She watched Percy take a sip so she slowly raised the coffee to her lips and did the same. Once the flavor of the coffee hit her tongue, her face wrinkled and she set the cup back down on the table.

Percy laughed at her reaction.

Annie looked at him confused. "Why is it so strong and what is that weird flavor?" She asked, her face still slightly wrinkled.

Percy chuckled still. "They put fire whiskey in it." He answered, revealing the secret.

"That's not coffee then! That's more like a wake up call!" Annie exclaimed.

Percy grinned. "It sure does wake you up especially when you had to work at the Ministry." He joked.

Annie smiled, and then she took another sip of her coffee. Her face wrinkled slightly, but not as much as the first time. "So you still went to Hogwarts then?" She asked.

"Yes." He answered simply.

"And what was that like?" She asked curiously.

Percy began to explain about his years at Hogwarts. He mentioned how he became a prefect and Head Boy. Then, he talked about Oliver Wood in his year and how Oliver led the Quidditch team as the Captain. He continued explaining how Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup once Harry Potter had become Seeker and then he went on to mention the tales of Harry he encountered while at Hogwarts. He even went as far as explaining how Defense Against the Dark Arts cursed professors who taught it.

"Wow. Beauxbatons was definitely not like that." Annie said, surprised by his tales.

"Then what was it like?" He asked curiously before taking another sip of his special coffee.

"Boring really. Madam Maxime was our Headmistress of course. Our classes were pretty much the same as yours," she explained, revealing her boring years at Beauxbatons. "But I did play Quidditch."

Percy gave her a look of shock. "You played Quidditch? I didn't know Beauxbatons even had Quidditch."

Annie smiled as she noticed his interest. "Yes. We didn't have houses like Hogwarts so we just had two teams. It wasn't as exciting but I played as a Beater." She explained.

"That's interesting. Most of my siblings have played Quidditch, but I haven't." He mentioned.

"Well, it can be a very dangerous sport." Annie stated as if she had been hurt while playing the sport.

Percy nodded and took a sip of his coffee. Silence came over them as Annie drank some of her coffee too. Percy set his cup back down before speaking. "So why did you have to go away in the first place?" He asked, remembering the last day he saw her.

Annie set her cup back down and sighed. "To get away from my father." She answered simply.

Percy looked at her intently. "Why?" He asked, wanting to know more.

"He's a Death Eater." She replied, avoiding his eyes.

Percy's eyes went wide. "Don't you mean he _was_ a Death Eater?" He asked not hoping for the worst.

"He's still alive. My father is Macnair." She revealed.

"I get why you wouldn't want to be near him, but it still doesn't explain things." Percy mentioned, shocked and confused.

"My mother didn't want to be near him because he was a Death Eater. He wasn't willing to give it up, but he still knows I exist." She informed him.

"Has he tried to contact you?" He asked, seeming really interested.

"No. I moved back here a couple of years ago once my mother died and he hasn't tried to contact me." She explained.

Percy looked at her thoughtfully. "I'm sorry about your mum." He said sympathetically.

Annie gave him a weak smile. "Thanks. It didn't help that I came back shortly before the battle at Hogwarts."

Percy sighed. "I know that feeling. A lot of lives were changed that day. Fred died there."

Annie outstretched her arm and placed her hand on his, which rested on the table. She squeezed his hand slightly to let him know she cared. "I know. Your mum told me. I think we all lost someone we loved that day."

Percy looked at their hands and then to her face. "Who did you lose?" He asked, trying to hold back emotions from Fred's death.

She looked at him with watery eyes. "My boyfriend. We were dueling a Death Eater and the green light killed him. Then, a spell hit me and threw me against a wall and it made me have a miscarriage." She explained as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

Percy squeezed her hand. "So you were pregnant?" He asked.

Annie nodded her head slightly. "Yes. I didn't know until after I had the miscarriage." She explained, wiping away a few tears.

"I'm sorry." Percy said at a loss for words.

They remained quiet for several minutes, both taking in their conversation. After awhile, Percy finished his coffee and set enough money down on the table to pay for her drink and his as well. "We better head back. I'm sure mum will have dinner ready soon." He mentioned.

Annie nodded and Percy pulled out his wand. They both stood up and Percy took her hand. He flicked his wand and the both of them apparated back to the Burrow.


	3. Chapter 3: Trouble Makers

Annie and Percy apparated back to the Burrow. A loud popping sound echoed in the living room as they arrived. Once their feet were planted firmly on the ground, Percy released Annie from their Side-by-Side Apparation. Percy smiled at her and held his arm out, gesturing her to the dining table.

Annie walked over to the table and sat down as the aroma of the beef stew and homemade bread filled the air. Annie closed her eyes and inhaled the scent as if it were intoxicating. Percy looked at her as he sat down and smiled as he witnessed her reaction to the wonderful smells.

Annie opened her eyes to see Percy grinning at her. "What?" She asked, smiling as if she waited for him to say something funny.

"The way you reacted to the smell of mum's cooking." He replied.

"Well, my mum's cooking wasn't very good." She explained, trying to hold back a laugh.

Just then, a loud popping sound emanated in the house again. Another redhead appeared in the form of George Weasley. When Percy spotted George, his face turned kind of grim because it reminded him of Fred. He felt his chest tighten slightly so he looked away. At this same time, George spotted Annie and Percy at the kitchen table so he walked over.

George turned to Percy looking a little shocked. "Wow Percy. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Broke. Needed a place to stay." He answered, giving the simple answer.

"Oh," said George, turning to Annie. "And I see Annie is still here." He stated, smiling at her.

All of a sudden, George picked Annie up from out of her seat and slung her over his shoulder. He tickled her with his one free arm since the other held her in place.

Annie laughed uncontrollably while Percy looked on with shock. "Put me down!" Annie gasped, trying to breathe from the tickling.

"Do you like snow, Annie?" George asked, smirking.

"No! No I don't!" She shouted, knowing exactly what he meant.

George walked over to the front door and opened it, allowing the cold, bitter wind to blow inside. The snow covered the ground and it appeared to be about a foot deep. The cold had already turned their cheeks red and no way were they dressed for going outside. They had a sweater on at the most and it couldn't block the bitter chill.

George stepped outside and Percy followed behind, unaware of George's intentions. "What are you doing?" Percy asked in a high voice.

George grinned. "Showing Annie the snow." He answered.

At this point, Annie had been kicking and screaming. "Are you nuts? It's freezing out here! Put me down!" She shouted.

"Put you down?" questioned George, smirking. "Alright."

"Noooo!" Annie shouted before being thrown down into the snow by George.

Annie laid face down in the snow and she laid perfectly still. George walked over to her and bent down slightly. "Annie?" He questioned, hoping she had not been hurt.

Just then, Annie grabbed George by the wrist and pulled him down into the snow. She grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at him. The snow hit him straight in his ear. "Hey! Try hitting the holey side!" He exclaimed before laughing and throwing more snow at her.

By then, Annie and George were laughing and tossing snow at each other even though both were freezing. Percy watched the two and wondered when Annie and George had gotten close. He remembered George and Fred playing with Annie and him sometimes, but now they were all in their twenties and acting like little kids. He remembered Annie and him being best friends, but never Annie and George. "Real mature you guys." He stated, rolling his eyes.

"Lighten up Percy." George said, throwing a snowball at Percy.

Annie laughed and threw some snow at him also. The snow hit him in the stomach since he had still been standing. "Think that's funny do you?" He asked, giving them a teasing glare.

Annie and George nodded. This caused Percy to march right over to Annie and pick her up off the ground. He threw her over his shoulder and spun around, causing her to spin around also. "Percy!" exclaimed Annie while giggling. "Put me down!"

Percy grinned. "Alright!" He said, throwing her down into the snow just like George did.

This time, a loud crack sounded as Annie hit the ground and a scream came from her mouth. George and Percy rushed over to her and knelt down. They noticed Annie holding her wrist. "I think it's broken." Annie said, wincing in pain and trying to hold back tears. "I'm so sorry, Annie." Percy apologized, looking really guilty and concerned.

"Let's take her to mum." George suggested.

Percy nodded and then the two of them helped Annie up and out of the snow. They walked inside and Percy closed the door while George had Annie sit down in a chair. "Mum!" George shouted.

Mrs. Weasley came running downstairs. "What?" she asked. "I was in the middle of cleaning!" she exclaimed, sounding irritated. Then, Mrs. Weasley spotted Annie holding her wrist and Mrs. Weasley could tell Annie looked like she was in pain by her facial expressions. "Oh dear. What happened?" She asked.

"I think my wrist is broken." Annie replied, grimacing in pain.

Mrs. Weasley approached Annie. "Let me see dear." She demanded, holding out her hands.

Annie held out her arm and winced as Mrs. Weasley gently touched her wrist. Annie felt like screaming as Mrs. Weasley examined her wrist, but a couple of tears fell from her eyes instead. "This will have to be taken care of." Mrs. Weasley said, letting go of Annie's wrist.

Annie just nodded as Percy and George looked on with guilt. At this point, the snow, which clung to Annie, Percy, and George, had melted, leaving the three wet and shivering. Mrs. Weasley gave the three of them a look. "Why are you soaking wet, shivering, and how did Annie's wrist get broken?" She asked.

"We were rough housing in the snow." George admitted, acting gleeful about their fun.

Mrs. Weasley glared at her son with her usual death glare. "I swear. You, Fred, Annie, Percy, Bill, and Charlie have been causing trouble since you were little." She explained.

George smiled at the thought, remembering his childhood.

"You're all adults now. It's time to grow up." Mrs. Weasley said.

Annie, Percy, and George looked a little hurt by her words.

"Now. We need to get you out of these wet clothes and fix your wrist. I'll need some help, and since there are no other women here, one of my sons will have to help." Mrs. Weasley explained, looking a little unnerved by having one of her sons help.

George smirked. "Did you mention her changing her clothes? I'll help then." He said, being smart aleck and perverted.

Mrs. Weasley glared at her son while Percy wondered why George would want to see Annie naked. "Go up to your room right now George Weasley, and if you're not ready by dinner, I'll pull you down here by your only ear!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

George hurried up the stairs, knowing his mother meant business. Then, Mrs. Weasley looked at Percy. "Go change and then come to Annie's room." She demanded.

Percy nodded and headed upstairs, feeling nervous about being around Annie when she's naked. He walked inside his room, stripped of his wet clothes, and put on some dry ones from out of his dresser. At this same time, Mrs. Weasley had helped Annie upstairs to her room. Mrs. Weasley had Annie sit down on her bed while Mrs. Weasley grabbed some dry clothes out of Annie's dresser. "We will get you all cleaned up." Mrs. Weasley said, sounding sure of herself.

Perchy knocked on the door and he pushed the door open slightly, peaking through the crack. Once he realized it had been safe, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Mrs. Weasley looked at her son and smiled. "Now that your ready, Annie can change." She said.

"Uhh mum." Percy paused.

Mrs. Weasley glared at her son. "Oh, for Merlin's sake Percy. I know you two are of the opposite sex, but you're twenty-three years old and I saw you three rough housing from an upstairs bedroom. I know it was you who broke Annie's wrist so the least you could do is help." Molly Weasley explained.

Percy looked down at the ground while Annie looked like she had been shocked by Mrs. Weasley's behavior. "I'm sick and tired of cleaning up after my children so you can help Annie on your own and I don't care if it is embarrassing!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed like she had been trying to start an argument.

Percy gave his mother a guilty expression. "It was an accident mum." He explained, feeling awful.

Mrs. Weasley glared at him. "Just like abandoning your family was an accident and leaving me to keep the rest of the family together by myself!" She raised her voice cruelly.

"Mum, I didn't mean to hurt you." He replied quietly while Annie watched their argument intently.

"But you did!" she shouted. "And now here you are living at home because you needed help as if it were nothing. As if Fred's death wasn't your fault." She blamed, letting it slip accidentally.

Annie gasped and Percy looked heartbroken as he stood there. "Maybe it was my fault." He said quietly in a whisper.

Mrs. Weasley's expression softened. "I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to blame you." She apologized, walking over to her son as if she were about to hug him.

"It's alright," he said, grimly. "I'll help Annie and then be down for dinner." He explained, avoiding his mother's hug.

Mrs. Weasley nodded and then left the room. Annie stood up from her bed and walked over to Percy. She put her good hand on Percy's arm while her broken wrist clung to her body. "I'm sorry. Your mum should have never said those things." She stated, looking at him softly.

"It's fine. Now, lets get you out of these clothes." Percy suggested, not really concerned about nakedness now.

Annie's eyes went wide slightly. "You know your mum just said to help me because she was upset." She explained.

"Maybe so, but you do need help." He explained, letting her know it would be alright.

Annie inhaled a big breath. "Fine, but only help me with the top half because of my arm." She demanded.

Percy nodded. "So what do you want me to do?" He asked.

"Help me take off my shirt." She answered, raising up her arms. She winced slightly, but luckily her arm had not been broken instead.

Percy swallowed nervously and then he placed his hands at the bottom of her shirt, one on each side of her waist. He gripped the bottom of her soaking wet shirt and slowly lifted it off of her and over her head. He threw the shirt down on the floor and his eyes traveled to Annie's bra. It had soaked through with water also, causing it to cling to her body and make her nipples stick out.

Percy cleared his throat, but Annie turned around, her back facing him. "Now unhook my bra and then turn around." She explained.

Percy raised his hands to her delicate bra clasp and gently unhooked it. He turned around and stood there quietly, not sure of what to think.

Annie managed to slip off her bra, pants, and underwear without Percy's help. Once she had become completely naked, she managed to slide on a dry pair of underwear and jeans. She slid on a dry bra, but she couldn't hook it since she needed both hands for that. "Percy. Could you hook my bra for me?" She asked.

Percy turned around to see her back facing him and to see her in a fresh pair of jeans. He moved his hands to her angelic body and gently clasped her bra. He noticed the bra had been a dark red color and this slightly caught his attention. "Red?" He questioned.

Annie turned around and slapped him on the shoulder with her good arm.

"Ow!" exclaimed Percy, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm glad to see one weakened arm doesn't limit the other one."

Annie smirked and grabbed her dry shirt. "Well, I'm sure I'm the only woman you've ever seen in a bra." She joked.

"You might be surprised." Percy replied, smirking.

"Yeah, yeah." She said, shoving her shirt into his hands and lifting her arms above her head.

Percy took the shirt and gently placed it over her head. Then, he carefully slid her arms in and pulled it down around her waist, but he noticed a scar before sliding it down all the way. "You have a scar on your waist." He stated obviously.

Annie put her arms down and looked at him quietly. "Yes. It's from the battle of Hogwarts." She explained.

"Sorry." Percy apologized for something, which had been out of his hands.

"It's alright. Let's just get my wrist fixed before your mum thinks we were shagging." She said, sounding slightly upset after he mentioned her scar.

Percy nodded and gently took her wrist with one hand. With his other hand, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at her wrist. "Metacarpalus Reparus." He uttered and bluish-green light emanated from his wand and hit her wrist.

The light disappeared and Percy looked at Annie's wrist. "How does that feel?" He asked.

Annie bent her wrist slightly and winced. "It's not broken anymore, but it's sore." She answered.

Percy flicked his wand and some bandages appeared around Annie's wrist. She smiled at him. "Thanks, but why didn't you do that spell before I changed?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Percy smirked and Annie slapped him on the shoulder. Percy rubbed it again and the two acted just like it had been old times. After Annie had become all patched up, Percy and her went downstairs for dinner. They sat at the table where George and Mr. Weasley now sat. The five would eat dinner like they were family and reminisce on old times.


	4. Chapter 4: Good Old Times

Percy, Annie, George, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley all sat at the kitchen table with a hot and hearty bowl of beef stew in front of them. They also had slices of homemade bread to soak up the juice of the stew. They all scarfed down spoonfuls of the flavorful stew, which included chunks of beef, hearty carrots, soft potatoes, and a rich sauce surrounding it all.

Everyone had been pretty quiet at first, but once everyone became full, they started talking. "How was work today?" Mrs. Weasley asked, looking at her husband.

"Same as usual." He answered. After Voldemort's demise, he became head of the Misuse of Muggle artifacts department and had become rather busy.

"Well, Percy will be staying here for some time." Mrs. Weasley mentioned.

Mr. Weasley nodded as if he were alright with it. After he nodded, he picked up the newest copy of the Daily Prophet and began to read it.

Mrs. Weasley turned to her son George next. "So how is the shop doing?" She asked, trying to catch up on everyone's happenings.

"Business is slow with it being winter. I'm actually closing it for a few days before having a Christmas sale so I'll be staying here a few days." George explained.

"Alright," said Mrs. Weasley before turning to Annie next. "How's your wrist dear?" She asked with a concerned tone.

"It's healed now, but it's still sore." Annie answered.

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "You should find a man who will take care of you." She suggested as if trying to hint at something.

"I'm sure I will find one someday." Annie answered, thinking of her boyfriend who died in the battle of Hogwarts.

"Please take one of my single sons like Charlie, Percy, or George off my hands." Mrs. Weasley said, smiling.

Annie blushed slightly since Percy and George were sitting right there. Percy and George looked at their mum. George smirked, but Percy seemed a little embarrassed. "Mum. We're sitting right here." Percy complained.

Mrs. Weasley grinned. "You can't blame a mother for trying." She stated.

"I'm sure they will find someone, Molly." Mr. Weasley said from behind his copy of the Daily Prophet.

"I know dear. Now I think Annie should get some rest." Mrs. Weasley suggested.

Annie nodded and then she headed upstairs. She quietly sat down on her bed, having no intentions of going to sleep. It had been way too early to call it a night yet. She grabbed the book on her nightstand and opened it so she could read where the book had been bookmarked. Just as she began to read, a knock sounded on her door. "Come in." She said, letting whoever it had been, know it had been alright to enter.

Percy opened the door and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him of what used to be his room. "Hey." He said in almost a whisper.

Annie smiled and patted the bed next to her, letting him know he could sit by her. Percy sat down and just as he did, George rushed into the room. He sat down in a chair across the room, but he pulled it closer before sitting down and facing Annie and Percy. "What are you doing?" Percy asked, looking confused.

"Chaperoning you two." George joked, smirking.

Annie put her hand to her mouth as she giggled. Percy gave George a look like George had been stupid or something. "That says a lot coming from the troublemaker of the family." Percy teased.

George laughed a little. "Well, you obviously remember nothing from our childhood." George stated.

"I do. I remember the tree house." Percy replied with a smile on his face.

***flashback***

A fourteen year-old Charlie and a sixteen year-old Bill sat in a tree house near the Burrow. It had been in a tall tree, near the outskirts of the woods near the Burrow. The tree house had become old and tattered. The once light, pinewood had become dark with age and memories. The tree house had been a haven since they were little kids, but now they were teenagers and they were growing too old to be laying in trees.

The ten year olds, Percy and Annie, came running over to the tree house like excited kids waiting for Santa Claus. "Can we come up!?" Percy shouted, who had put his hands around his mouth when shouting so he would sound louder.

Bill peaked his head out the window and looked down at Percy and Annie. "No!" He shouted back down to them.

Percy looked down as if he were upset, and at this same time, Bill and Charlie started to descend down the tree on the steps which had been nailed to the tree. Bill jumped down a bit after reaching the last step since it had been a little ways from the ground. Charlie did the same and then the two oldest Weasley boys were safely on the ground. "You know the tree house isn't that strong so it can't hold that much weight." Bill explained.

Percy and Annie nodded and at the same time, Fred and George, who were eight years old, came running over. They ran straight for the tree and started climbing up it. Bill glared at them. "You come down right now!" He shouted, sounding like his mother.

"Never!" Fred shouted who looked down at them.

The twins climbed higher and eventually made it inside the tree house. They raised their arms in the air and shouted with victory as they had reached the top. Then, the two started jumping up and down and BOOM! The tree house came crashing down.

Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Annie watched in horror as pieces of wood scattered the ground. Fred and George laid there in the middle of the mess, George sprawled over Fred. Fred had broken George's fall, but this caused Fred's leg to break.

The others came rushing over and their faces looked grim as they witnessed the twins having cuts all over them. However, the twins grinned at them all. "We made it to the top." George grinned.

Bill shook his head and Fred yelped in pain. "My leg is broken." Fred said, wincing.

"I wonder why?" questioned Bill sarcastically. Since he had been the oldest and strongest, he picked up Fred and made it his responsibility to carry Fred back home. "Mum is going to kill you two." Bill stated as he walked back to the Burrow with Fred in his arms.

***end flashback***

"Good times," said George, grinning. "Fred had always been the bravest, but mum killed us when we got home." He explained.

The three of them grinned, but Percy's face went slightly grim at the mention of Fred. "What else do you remember, Percy?" George asked curiously.

Percy still looked grim as he answered. "I remember the ridiculous Christmas dress Annie wore that one year." He answered, thinking back and trying to picture it.

Annie hit Percy on the shoulder again and he rubbed his shoulder, feeling like his shoulder started to bruise. "Well, it was ugly!" he exclaimed. "It was red velvet with green fur at the bottom and the ends of the sleeves and an ugly green bow in the middle." He said, explaining the dress.

George tried to remember as he laughed slightly. "Well, you have to remember Annie a better way." He stated.

Percy thought for a moment and then he remembered the day Annie left. "The day Annie left, the wind blew in her long blonde hair and she tucked some behind her hair. Then, she kissed me on the cheek and ran off over the hill." He said dreamily with a smile on his face.

"I don't remember that." George confessed.

"Because you weren't there." Percy stated, snapping out of his dreamy thoughts.

George nodded. "Well, I'm gonna go because Charlie is coming here tomorrow." He explained before standing up and leaving the room.

Percy and Annie now sat on her bed in silence. After a while in silence, Annie decided to speak. "I see how your expression changes when someone mentions Fred." She confessed to him.

Percy sighed. "It's my fault he died." He said, feeling like it had been the truth.

"It wasn't your fault and your mum saying it was, is not the truth. She was completely out of line." Annie explained, trying to make him feel better.

"It feels like it is. The rubble fell on him when he was by my side." He explained. He stood up at this point and walked over to the window, looking out it for answers.

Annie stood up and walked over to him. She grabbed his arm and forced him to turn around. A couple of tears had run down Percy's cheek as he looked at Annie. "It should have been me." Percy said, blaming himself.

All of a sudden, Annie's hand came up and slapped Percy in the face. "Don't you dare say that!" she exclaimed. "You think you're the only one who lost someone in the battle?" She questioned, breaking down in tears.

Percy stared at her in shock. He rubbed his cheek. "I'm sorry." He apologized, not sure if he should feel guilty.

Annie wiped some of her tears away. "No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to slap you." She apologized still crying.

Percy sighed and then took Annie into his arms. He held her closely and put his hand on the back of her head as she sobbed into his chest. He stroked her hair gently to try and comfort her. After a few seconds, Annie pulled away and she looked at him with tears in her eyes. Percy looked into her eyes and gave her a weak smile as he put some of her long blonde hair behind her ear.

Annie smiled at him and it made Percy think of the day she left. The day she left him. Then, as if it were a miracle, Annie said something, which made Percy think she had read his mind. "I left you too, you know. Maybe I didn't die, but I still left you." She stated, looking up into his eyes.

Percy looked at her gently. "You did, but you had no choice. You couldn't prevent moving away." He said, trying to make light of the situation.

"But I could have stayed with my father." She said, coming up with an excuse.

"No, you couldn't be raised by a Death Eater. I just wouldn't have wanted that to happen. I would rather you moved away then have that happen." He confessed, looking at her.

Annie gave him a slight smile. "You're a good guy, Percy." She complimented.

Percy looked into her eyes and moved more of her hair behind her ear. He felt something by looking into her eyes. He couldn't feel sure if the feeling had been comfort or love, but he knew it made him feel better. He moistened his lips slightly as he looked at her and then he started to lean inward. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips firmly against Annie's. A feeling of comfort rushed over him, as he tasted her salty lips, which had become so from her crying.

To Percy's surprise, Annie didn't pull away. In fact, it had been him who pulled away after a few seconds. Once the comfort feeling had ended, fear took him over. He had become scared and afraid she would reject him. After all, she had just come back into his life. He decided it would be best to come up with an excuse and apologize to play it safe. "I'm sorry. It was an accident." He falsely explained.

"Oh." Annie said, looking slightly shocked as she sat back down on her bed.

"I'll just let you rest." Percy said, walking towards the door.

"Goodnight." Annie said, looking at Percy.

He looked at her for a moment. "Goodnight." He replied, walking out of the room and shutting the door behind him. He walked to his room and changed into his pajamas. He crawled into his bed, pulling the covers over himself. He stared at the ceiling as he thought about how he had kissed her. He felt conflicted between the kiss being wrong or right. He didn't know if he liked her as more then a friend, but he would soon find out.


	5. Chapter 5: Along Came Charlie

Percy awoke with the sun shining in his face. He stretched his arms way in the air and then he crawled out of bed. He cleaned himself up and dressed himself in some clean clothes. He left his room and walked downstairs to the smell of eggs and sausage. His mother, Molly Weasley, had been cooking breakfast for everyone. Percy also noticed another individual who happened to be talking to his mother. The person had long red hair, pulled back, and Percy realized this person had to be no other than his older brother, Charlie Weasley.

Percy walked into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table. "Good morning, mum." Percy said, taking a seat at the table.

Mrs. Weasley and Charlie turned around. "Good morning dear." She said, walking over to him and handing him a cup of tea.

"Thanks mum." Percy said, taking a sip of the tea.

Charlie looked at his brother. "What? No hello for your brother?" He asked, smirking.

"Hello Charlie," said Percy, giving him a slight grin. "So what are you doing here?" He asked.

"The dragons kind of hibernate in the winter so I thought I would come visit," Charlie explained.

Percy nodded and then noise came from upstairs like someone had been stirring. Charlie looked up at the ceiling and then turned his gaze to Percy. "Who else is here right now?" He asked curiously as his mother obviously didn't fill him in about the other houseguests.

"George and Annie." Percy replied, taking another sip of his tea.

Charlie raised an eyebrow at Percy. "Annie?" He questioned.

"Yeah. Annie from when I was little." Percy answered.

Charlie nodded. "I remember her. Maybe I'll go up and say hi." He said.

Percy nodded, but he wondered why Charlie even cared. Then again, maybe he had been paranoid about the situation so he watched Charlie leave and head upstairs anyways.

Charlie Weasley had not changed much over the years. He still had his trademark hair, which remained long and pulled back; the way Mrs. Weasley had never liked it. Scorch marks and slight burns decorated his skin from working with dragons. He had become used to his skin feeling like a rough canvas and looking like a weird painting. Regardless of his imperfect skin, Charlie Weasley remained handsome and he loved his job.

After climbing a few stairs, Charlie finally reached Annie's room. He raised his masculine arm and knocked on the door, causing several loud thuds. "Come in." He heard a woman on the other side of the door say. Charlie slowly opened the door to see the blonde-haired beauty standing there in a pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt with her leg crossed over the other, trying to put on a sock. Unfortunately, she lost her balance and fell over onto the floor.

Charlie rushed over to her, but Annie laid on the floor laughing. Charlie smiled at first and then he chuckled. "That was pretty funny." He stated, offering his hand to her. She took his hand and Charlie pulled her up.

"I see you've come to join us trouble makers." Annie stated, grinning.

"Of course," smirked Charlie. He hugged Annie and then pulled away. "It's really good to see you again."

"It's really good to see you too, although I wouldn't remember as much from when we were kids as you would." She explained, giving Charlie a weak smile.

"You know, I know more about you, regardless of our childhood," said Charlie, as if Annie knew exactly what he had been referring to. "They don't know do they?"

Annie shook her head. "No they don't." She replied, looking guilty of something.

"It's better they don't. They haven't gotten to know you like I have," confessed Charlie before he walked towards the door. He stopped and turned around once he reached the doorway. "I really did miss you, Annie Macnair." He stated before leaving her room.

Annie hated that last name and she always refused to use it. She used her mother's maiden name when it came to introducing herself to others. Charlie Weasley had gotten to know her better than anyone else during the years she didn't live in England. He had been one of the few people who truly knew who she had been and Annie planned on keeping it that way.

Annie finished dressing before heading downstairs. Everyone's eyes appeared to be upon her, including Mrs. Weasley's boys: Percy, Charlie, and George. Mrs. Weasley smiled as she noticed this because she wanted her sons to settle down and be happy, but most of all, she really liked Annie and wanted her to be a part of the family.

George Weasley appeared behind Annie from out of thin air and put his arm around her. "Good morning." He smiled mischievously.

"What do you want?" She asked, smiling because she knew he was up to something.

"What makes you think I'm up to something?" He asked, trying to play innocent.

"You're always up to something, George."

"Good point," he smirked. "I'm opening the shop today and I need a lot of help and did I mention I would pay?"

Annie just shook her head and tried to suppress her laughter because of George's behavior. "Of course I will help you. You don't even need to really ask." She replied.

George picked Annie up and spun her around. "You're the best!" He exclaimed before setting her back down.

Percy watched and he couldn't help but notice the smile on Annie's face. He wondered why his brothers appeared to act differently when she was around. _"Do they see something I don't?" _He thought. _"She was my childhood friend and now its like she's everyone's best friend."_

"How about you two?" George asked, looking to Charlie and Percy for answers.

"I'm in," answered Charlie. "I've got nothing better to do."

"And you?" George asked, now looking just at Percy.

"Sure." He answered, not wanting to leave Annie with his brothers and be stuck at home with his mother.

"Let's go then." George demanded, talking to his three volunteers.

"But you haven't even ate breakfast yet!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.

"No wonder he has to pay us then." Annie joked.

George grinned at her and laughed. This scene made Percy feel uneasy. He started to think the two were flirting.

One-by-one, the four of them apparated to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes without eating any breakfast. Once they arrived at the shop, George gave everyone a job to do. Charlie and Percy were in charge of stocking the shelves while Annie and George would help customers. Charlie and Percy even had to stock some Christmas products, which included wreaths that continuously changed shapes instead of being round, candy cane wands, and Christmas cards with funny little sayings.

"You like her don't you?" Charlie whispered to his brother Percy while they stocked some of the ridiculous Christmas items.

"Why do you ask that?" He asked, shocked by the question.

"I've been here less than a day and I can see how you look at her, especially when George and I talk to her." Charlie explained obviously giving it some thought.

"I haven't thought about it to be honest." Percy stated, remembering the kiss he shared with Annie, which meant he really had thought about it even if it were just slightly.

"There is more to her then meets the eye," stated Charlie. "If you want her, I suggest you make a move before George does."

Percy turned from his brother Charlie and looked at his other brother. His heart sank as he witnessed Annie and George laughing again. He couldn't grasp the feeling he had, but he knew Charlie was right. He would have to make a move soon if he were to keep George from making a move.

The rest of the day at the shop seemed to go by rather quickly. The shop had been filled with tons of customers because of the holiday sale. Percy tried to work hard, but every time he received a free moment, he would glance at Annie. He watched her as she helped a little boy find some items he wanted. Percy couldn't help but smile since it was the cutest thing he ever saw when it came to Annie.

At this exact moment, three owls flew into the shop, carrying a letter and disrupting Percy's thought. The owls dropped a letter in front of Percy, George, and Annie. Percy grabbed his and ripped it open before he began to read it.

_Dear Percival Weasley,_

_As required by law, all deaths at the Battle of Hogwarts have been examined by expert Aurors. We have learned who may be responsible for the death of your brother, Fredrik Weasley. Since you were an eyewitness to his death, you are being summoned to a trial tomorrow for the sentencing of Walden Macnair, the Death Eater in question. Please arrive at the Ministry of Magic by 10:00 AM sharp._

_Kingsley Shacklebolt_

_Minster of Magic_

Percy's heart sank after he read his letter. He remembered the horrible moment in his mind. He had made a joke and Fred laughed. The two of them rarely laughed together like that and the moment had been ruined by rubble; rubble that fell down upon Fred, taking away every glimpse of life from his body. Percy remembered perfectly how Fred's eyes stared blankly at nothing, and yet he had a slight smile on his face. Percy never understood how something so dead and cold could show emotion like that.

Percy tried to hold back his emotions as he looked at his brother George. The expression on George's face told Percy that Fred's death haunted him also. "Mine is from the Ministry." Percy stated, looking at George.

George looked at Percy, holding back tears in his eyes. "Mine too." He said.

"I don't understand why they're blaming Macnair. Rubble fell on Fred. It's what killed him." Percy stated.

A tear rolled down George's cheek. "Someone still cast the spell that caused the rubble to fall." He explained.

Percy nodded and then turned to Annie who he remembered had received a letter also. He noticed her eyes were wide and full of fear. "Why did you receive a letter?" He asked.

All eyes were on her. "They summoned me to the trial." She answered.

"You were at the final battle, but you didn't see Fred die," stated Percy, confused by the situation. "Why would they want you there then?"

Annie looked at Percy and George guiltily while Charlie appeared calm during this whole conversation like nothing surprised him.

Right then and there, in that moment, Annie confessed her biggest, darkest, secret. "Walden Macnair is my father."


	6. Chapter 6: Judgement Day

Annie sat quietly in her room at the Burrow. She felt like a stranger in an unknown world because everyone seemed distant with her. She didn't blame them really. Her father was Walden MacNair, a Death Eater who could be responsible for Fred's death. She had kept her secret from the Weasleys except for Charlie and Percy.

Meanwhile, Charlie entered Percy's room and decided to explain things to him. He sat down next to Percy who had just been sitting quietly on his bed. "I should explain to you how I knew." Charlie said, acting like he needed to give Percy an explanation.

"Maybe I don't want to know." Percy stated, sounding upset with his older brother.

"You do," stated Charlie, like he knew how his brother's mind worked. "It's not even that interesting of a story."

"Fine. Then tell me your boring story." Percy demanded sarcastically.

"She worked with the dragons in Romania for awhile. We worked together so she told me about her life because we became friends. That's all there really is to it." He explained.

"Why was she in Romania?" Percy asked, wanting to know the details.

"Just a job to keep food on the table," answered Charlie. "Listen," he paused, "I can't tell you everything. If you want to know more about her past, you will have to talk to her."

Percy nodded in silence as he thought quietly to himself for awhile. "I knew about her father. She actually told me when we went to a coffee shop. I just forgot until we got those letters and it shocked me because I saw Fred die. You never expect someone you know to be associated with such a bad memory." He confessed.

Charlie nodded and placed his hand on Percy's shoulder for solace. "I understand. It's painful, but she's nothing like her father. Her mother moved her away from the world of the Death Eater," explained Charlie. "Anyways, we better get to the Ministry for the trial."

Percy nodded and then the two went their separate ways. Percy thought to himself some more as he dressed for the trial. He wore a pair of khaki colored dress pants, a black long-sleeved button up shirt, and a khaki colored tie to top it all off. As he finished dressing, he thought about Annie's life and how hard it must have been growing up like that. He actually felt thankful to have a mother and a father growing up, but he felt awful for abandoning them when they tried to raise him the best way they knew how. They fed him and put clothes on his back and then he turned around and disowned them.

Percy left his room and headed downstairs to go find the rest of his family. He knew they would all be huddled together before leaving, and just as he had expected, they were all waiting in the living room. Looking at Charlie, George, and his parents, Percy could tell they were all upset, but George looked like a wreck. He walked over to George and placed his hand on George's shoulder. "I know it's painful dredging up bad memories." Percy confessed.

George shrugged off Percy's hand and appeared angry as he glared at his brother. "Don't talk to me. No one told me who Annie's father was."

Everyone's eyes diverted towards George. "Only Charlie and I knew. We didn't think it was a big deal because we didn't know MacNair had a connection with Fred's death," explained Percy. "Plus, that's not something she probably wanted a lot of people knowing. It's not something to be proud of."

"I don't care! She shares his blood!" George shouted, getting in his brother's face.

"I know, but blood doesn't make you family. It just means you're related, but her father isn't her father. He didn't raise her." Percy explained like he had really thought about it since he had once left his family.

"I don't care. She lied, kept secrets from us, and yet we trusted her. That makes her bad in my book." George said, agitated with his brother's explanations.

After George said this last comment, all eyes diverted to the staircase where Annie had been standing at the foot of the stairs. She appeared upset, like she heard everything they had been saying. She avoided their eyes and silently walked over to the fireplace where she grabbed a bit of Floo Powder. The Weasleys watched her disappear into the green flames as she traveled to the Ministry via Floo Network.

The Burrow remained silent for a couple of minutes because of the tension from Annie's little appearance. "We better be leaving," suggested Mrs. Weasley. "We don't want to be late."

One by one, each Weasley used the Floo Network to arrive at the Ministry of Magic. Percy and George would be questioned at the trial since one had been close to Fred and the other had witnessed his death. The rest of the Weasleys had to sit around and watch the trial.

At exactly 10 AM sharp, the trial had started. The room was filled with all types of people. One side had over 100 Wizengamot members who would eventually vote on the punishment of Walden MacNair. The other side contained people from the wizarding community. The Weasley family sat in one row and even Bill, Ginny, and Ron had shown up. Fleur, Harry, Hermione, and even some other people from Hogwarts, who they had gone to school with showed up.

In the middle of the room stood a chair and a podium, similar to that of a regular courtroom. The Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt stood behind the podium while the chair remained empty. It's use was meant for whoever would be questioned. "My fellow wizards, we all know why we are gathered here today. We are here for the trial of Walden MacNair." Shacklebolt started, opening up the trial.

A woman nearby recorded every word of the trial with a magical quill. Another wizard drew caricatures, which would most likely appear in the Daily Prophet, and Rita Skeeter came to get the latest scoop, which she could twist around. Everyone else remained focused on Shacklebolt, hanging onto his every word.

"Our first witness called to question is George Weasley." Shacklebolt stated.

George rose from his seat and walked over to the chair in the middle of the room.

"Please raise your wand." Shacklebolt requested.

George raised his wand like how a muggle would put his hand on the bible. "Do you swear to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help you Merlin?" Shacklebolt asked.

"I do." George swore before lowering his wand.

"You may be seated." Shacklebolt said.

George sat down and then the real fun would begin.

"Please state your name and how you are related to the victim in question." Kingsley requested.

"I'm George Weasley and Fred Weasley was my twin brother."

"And were the two of you close?"

"Yes. We did everything together. We even opened up our own joke shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. I'm sure some of you may have heard of it."

"And where were you during your brother's death?"

"Somewhere inside the castle, dueling the bad guys."

"So you did not see your brother die?"

"No, but I wish I had been with him in his final moments."

"Thank you. That is all. You may have a seat." Shacklebolt stated, taking some notes.

Rita Skeeter wrote frantically as she copied down what she just heard, twisting the truth, no doubt. The caricature drawer finished a sketch of George and his head looked way too big. Everyone else just seemed to be absorbing what they had just heard.

George sat back down next to his family and he had tears in his eyes as he remembered the painful event.

"Next, I call Percival Weasley to the stand." The Minister of Magic stated.

Percy rose from his seat and walked to where George had just been.

"Please raise your wand." Kingsley requested, sounding like a judge.

Percy raised his wand and followed the same procedure as his brother George.

"Do you swear to tell the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help you Merlin?" Shacklebolt asked.

"I do."

"You may be seated."

Percy sat down quietly and felt like he was drowning in a sea of eyeballs, which were upon him.

"Please state your name and how you are related to the victim."

"I'm Percival Weasley and Fred Weasley was my younger brother."

"Where were you during your brother's death?"

"I was by his side during the Battle of Hogwarts. I had just made a joke and Fred laughed."

"Would you care to elaborate the joke?"

"We were fighting Thicknesse, the current Minister of Magic who had been a Death Eater. We disarmed him and I mentioned resigning. Fred laughed and then the rubble fell."

"And who else was there besides you?"

"Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and my younger brother, Ron Weasley."

"Do you know who made the rubble fall?"

"No. Everything was happening so fast. It was really chaotic."

"Thank you. That will be all." Shacklebolt stated, dismissing his second witness. He wrote down more notes as Percy sat down who had started crying halfway during his questioning. His mother handed him a tissue since she had come prepared, which turned out to be good because she started crying before the questioning started.

"I now call Annabelle MacNair to the stand." Kingsley said.

A hushed silence came over the room at the mention of her name. Everyone watched her walk to the chair and get sworn in by Shacklebolt, just like George and Percy. After, she sat down and took her seat.

"Please state your name and how you are related to the criminal in question."

"I am Annabelle MacNair and Walden MacNair is my father."

Several people in the room gasped while many others started whispering.

"Please explain your relationship with your father."

"I don't know him. My mother and I moved away when I was eleven so I could attend Beauxbatons. She wanted to protect me."

"So your mother knew your father had been a Death Eater?"

"Yes. He wasn't willing to give it up for us so we left."

"Did you know he was a Death Eater at the time?"

"No, but my mother told me when I became older."

"Is it true that you came back to England sometime before the battle and actually participated in the battle?"

"Yes. I came back after my mother died and I participated in the battle."

"Did you see your father during the battle?"

"No. I haven't seen him since we left and I doubt he would recognize me."

"Who were you with during the final battle?"

"My boyfriend at the time. He died in the battle."

"Is it true that you were pregnant at the time?"

A tear ran down Annie's cheek. "Yes."

"Is it true that you tell people you miscarried, but your son is actually sitting right there?" Shacklebolt questioned, pointing to a little boy, about the age of five, sitting on a middle-aged woman's lap.

The room became loud as people began to whisper. Annie turned her head towards the little boy for a second and then she looked back at Shacklebolt with tears running down her cheeks. "Yes."

The whole room gasped and began talking. "Silence!" Kingsley shouted and the whole room quieted down. "And why did you lie and hide your son?"

"To protect him," explained Annie as her voice sounded with sadness. "I was afraid of what might happen if my father found out about him so I had my aunt take him in for awhile."

"Thank you. You may take your seat once again."

Annie left the chair and walked over to her aunt and son, taking a seat next to them. She picked her son up and sat him on her lap. Tears streamed down her face as she kissed him on the forehead. The whole room was in an uproar after Annie's story but she had done what any mother would do; protect her child. She didn't care what the others thought about her because she knew she had protected him from harm.

"SILENCE!" Shacklebolt shouted to quiet down the entire room.

Once everyone became quiet, the Minister of Magic continued the trial. "I now call Walden MacNair to the stand."

The door to the room opened and two Aurors dragged a man into the room that had been shackled at the wrists and ankles. He wore the black and white striped prisoner uniform that all wizards had worn when they were put into Azkaban. The Aurors dragged him over to the chair and plopped him down before casting a couple of spells to bind him to the chair.

"I assure everyone that he is safely contained. Only these two Aurors know the passwords to unlock his shackles," stated Kingsley, trying to ease the minds of the audience. "Now, there is no need to swear him in because he has been given Veritaserum so he must tell the truth."

The whole audience appeared to calm down slightly. "Please state your name and your association with Voldemort."

No one cringed at the mention of You-Know-Who's name since he had died.

"Walden MacNair and I was one of his many Death Eaters"

"Is it true that you were once married and had a daughter?"

"Yes."

"And what happened to that daughter?"

"Her mother took her away from me when she was eleven."

"Did you try to find her?"

"I did and I succeeded, but her mother refused to let me see her."

The crowd started whispering again. "Why didn't you give up being a Death Eater for your family?"

"It was the only thing I ever knew and had been good at. Voldemort wasn't in power at the time so I didn't see the big deal if I kept the title."

"Where were you during the Battle of Hogwarts?"

"I was inside the castle fighting people."

"Do you remember seeing rubble falling onto a redheaded young man?"

"Yes, but Thicknesse was responsible for that. He dueled them and I dueled someone else."

The crowd whispered even louder as they heard MacNair's claim that Thicknesse had been responsible for Fred's death. "Then who did you duel?"

"Colin Creevey, and yes, I killed him."

The whole audience became loud and Shacklebolt had to quiet them down again. "There are no further questions so the Wizengamot will now vote based on what they have heard," explained Kingsley. "All in favor of convicting Walden MacNair for the death of Fredrick Weasley, raise your hand."

Only a couple of Wizengamot members raised their hands. "Charge dismissed then. All in favor of convicting Walden MacNair to death for murder and being a Death Eater associated with Voldemort raise your hand."

Members of the Wizengamot raised their hand, convicting MacNair to death. "Let the charges be known that Walden MacNair will be sentenced to death at 10 AM tomorrow."

People started to cheer, but there was still one pressing matter at hand. "Walden MacNair, you have been sentenced to death. Once sentenced to death, you are allowed one final request. Please state your final request before the Wizengamot."

"I wish to see my daughter."

The crowd up roared in discussion at his request while Annie sat there with her son, tears flowing down her cheeks. This was the first time she had laid eyes on her father in twelve years. He did not recognize her. She was just another face in the crowd, but his final request had been to see her. He wanted her to be the last person he saw before his death and before the light flickered out in his eyes.

"SILENCE!" Shacklebolt shouted again. The audience quieted down as he continued on. "Very well. If your daughter chooses to see you, then your request will be fulfilled, but it is strictly her decision. I now call this trial to an end."

The audience began discussing the trial as the two Aurors dragged MacNair away in his shackles. Rita Skeeter smirked as if she had just received the best story of her life. The caricature drawer had finished drawing MacNair, depicting him as a Death Eater in black robes with piranha-like teeth. People started to empty out of the room, including the Weasleys who now knew who killed their beloved Fred. Annie left with her son in her arms, being left with a huge decision: to see her father or not.


	7. Chapter 7: Apologies

Annie now sat quietly on her bed inside the Burrow. Her son sat in the middle of the room, playing with a fake wand. She just watched him play because she hadn't seen him in a few months. A knock came from the door and distracted her away from her son. "Come in." She said.

Charlie Weasley, the second eldest son, entered the room and the little boy stood up and walked over to him. "Hello Charlie." The little boy greeted.

"Hello Brayden." Charlie replied as he sat down next to Annie.

"Come here." Annie demanded, looking at her son.

He did as his mother told him, and after he walked over, Annie placed her hands on her son's shoulders and looked at him. "Why don't you go downstairs and see if Mrs. Weasley has something for you to do?"

"Alright mommy." Brayden said before leaving the room and heading downstairs.

Charlie sat there quietly for a couple of minutes after Brayden left. "He's gotten big since I saw him in Romania." He said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah. He looks like his father." Annie explained.

"But he has his mother's hair color and eyes." Charlie said, smiling.

Annie sighed and looked at Charlie. "I'm fine. You don't have to come and check up on me."

"Yes, I do. You stayed away from your son to protect him and you had to keep it a secret. Most mothers wouldn't have the strength to do that," he explained. "I don't even think my mother would."

"It's nothing special." Annie said, sounding humble.

"It's not special. It's extraordinary and that's why I know whatever decision you make about seeing your father tomorrow, will be the right one." Charlie complimented, sounding like a true friend.

A tear rolled down Annie's cheek. "I'm leaving soon." She said.

Charlie stood up, no longer sitting on her bed. "You tell that to my brother downstairs who's clearly in love with you, but who is too dumb to realize it," he stated. "You left him when you were eleven. Do you want to do that to him again?" With this statement, Charlie left the room and went downstairs, leaving Annie to herself.

She sat quietly on her bed, thinking about the events of the past twelve years. Her father was absent, just a vague memory from her childhood. Her mother died and left her parentless. She loved once and lost him as well, leaving her to raise a son. So many people had left her and now she wanted to do the same. She wanted to leave Percy Weasley for a second time because she felt like she didn't belong in the kind of life the Weasley family had.

As Annie thought about her life, another knock sounded on the door. George entered the room without permission and stood in front of Annie. "I'm sorry. I should have never freaked out." He apologized.

"You had every right to be upset." Annie said.

"I did, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You're not like your father so I had no right." He apologized some more.

"Thanks," said Annie, giving him a weak smile as she stood up. Just as she stood up, George wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. This shocked Annie, but she hugged him briefly and then pulled away. "I better go check on Brayden before your mother spoils him to death."

"Actually, he's with Percy." George explained.

"Percy?" She questioned, sounding shocked.

"Yup. They seem to be getting along just fine." He explained.

A smile came across Annie's lips and then she headed downstairs. Mrs. Weasley had been cooking dinner while Mr. Weasley and Charlie were having a discussion of some sort at the kitchen table. Percy and Brayden were in the living room, and sure enough, the two appeared to be getting along just fine. Annie walked over to them while George joined his father and brother in their discussion.

"Hey. What's going on over here?" Annie asked with a grin on her face.

Percy looked up and smiled at her. "Your son here is talking my ear off about all of his toys." He answered.

"Sounds about right." She joked.

Percy grinned and then looked at Brayden. "Why don't you go ask my mum for a cookie?" He suggested.

Brayden hopped off of Percy's lap and ran over to Mrs. Weasley. Two seconds later, Brayden was eating a cookie. Annie laughed as she watched and looked back at Percy. "Are you trying to corrupt my son?" She asked.

"Yup. Just like when we were kids." Percy chuckled.

Annie laughed and then she became serious. "Listen. I'm sorry I hid him from you." She apologized.

"It's fine. I understand." He said.

"I just wanted to protect him." She confessed.

"Well," paused Percy, "He is beautiful like his mother."

Annie smiled and she wondered why the Weasleys always knew how to say the right things. First with Charlie saying she was extraordinary, and now with Percy saying she's beautiful. She just absorbed the words for a couple of minutes, letting them sink in.

"So do you know what you're going to do tomorrow?" Percy asked.

"Yes. I'm going to see him," she answered. "Do you think you could go with me?"

Percy nodded. "Absolutely. I'm just sorry all of this had to happen to you." He apologized for events that were out of his control.

Annie looked at Percy and smiled. "Don't be. I probably never would have had Brayden then."

Percy sighed and he acted like something was bothering him. "Yeah."

"Is something wrong?" Annie asked.

"No," he replied. "I think dinner is ready though."

George and Charlie were setting the table for dinner as Mrs. Weasley used her wand to set all of the food on the table. George helped Brayden set all of the napkins on the table and then George gave him a high five. Annie and Percy came over to join them. Annie picked Brayden up and sat him down. She grabbed his napkin and tucked it into the collar of his shirt. "If your sons are anything like mine, they will need their napkin like this too." Annie joked, talking to Mrs. Weasley.

To make the comment even funnier, Annie walked over to George, grabbed his napkin, and tucked it into his collar. George laughed loudly like he thought it was the funniest thing ever. Annie did the same thing to Charlie and he chuckled slightly, mainly from the priceless look on Mrs. Weasley's face. After Charlie, she did the same to Percy.

"Thank you, mother." Percy joked with a grin on his face.

George laughed some more and even Mr. Weasley chuckled slightly as Annie sat back down.

"I'd swear you four act like you're never grown up." Mrs. Weasley said, giving them the you-better-behave look.

"Oh come on mum. Aside from Ron, Percy always did eat like he was at an all you can eat buffet." George joked.

Annie laughed so hard that she actually snorted and her snort caused Charlie to laugh so hard that he snorted as well.

"Can't be as bad as when you were testing Puking Pastels and it turned your hair puke green for a week." Percy teased.

"Hey. Those were good times." George confessed.

"That's enough!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "We're going to behave and eat like a normal family now."

Everyone knew this meant business so they all stopped laughing and quieted down. After it was quiet, everyone started passing around the food. There was roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, cooked carrots, and homemade rolls with butter. They all ate like they were starving because Mrs. Weasley's food always tasted delicious.

After dinner, Annie helped Mrs. Weasley with the dishes. They both stood at the sink while the guys remained at the table discussing life and entertaining Brayden. Annie scrubbed a pan while talking to Mrs. Weasley. "I'm sorry I kept things from you and didn't tell you about my son." She apologized.

"It's fine dear. I understand and I would have done the same for one of my own." Mrs. Weasley confessed while scrubbing a plate.

"I just want to thank you for everything since I'm leaving in a few days." Annie explained.

Mrs. Weasley stopped scrubbing her plate and looked at Annie. "Leaving?" she questioned. "Does Percy know?"

Annie stopped and looked at Mrs. Weasley. "Percy? Why?" She asked.

"Because he loves you." Mrs. Weasley explained, picking up a different plate and scrubbing it.

Annie let out a slight laugh. "You know, people keep telling me that, but the thing is, he hasn't." She explained.

"That's just Percy. He's always been like that with his emotions," explained Mrs. Weasley. "Anyways, we should let magic clean the rest of these." She flicked her wand and the rest of the dishes appeared to be scrubbing by themselves.

Annie let the magic do its charm so she went into the living room where Percy, George, Charlie, and Brayden had been. George appeared to be laughing and he pulled something out of his pocket, which looked a lot like a Puking Pastel. Annie noticed as she plopped down onto the couch next to Percy. "George Weasley!" she scolded. "If you give that to my son, you won't have any ears at all!"

Percy, Charlie, and George all laughed. "Yes mother," joked George, putting the item away. "I was just prepping him for Hogwarts."

Annie rolled her eyes. "Nice try," she said sarcastically. "He's only five years old." After this, Annie picked up Brayden and sat him down on her lap. He sat there quietly and behaved while the three Weasley boys looked at her differently. The troublemaker had now become a mother, so even though she still acted juvenile at times, she had been forced to grow up.

As they all sat there, Percy stared at Annie and Brayden. Eventually, Charlie and George's eyes fell upon Percy because of his behavior. Annie noticed and looked at Percy. "What?" She asked.

"You two look perfect together," complimented Percy. "The way family should be."

Annie smiled and then Brayden said something unexpectedly. "My daddy is in heaven." He explained.

Annie bounced Brayden on her lap slightly. "Yes he is." She said, hugging him.

The boys became quiet and then Charlie stood up. "I'm going to bed. You crazy kids don't stay up too late now." He grinned.

"I'm going to hit the sack also," confessed George, standing up. "It's way past my bedtime." He joked.

Annie and Percy just grinned as Charlie and George went to bed. After those two left, Percy and Annie sat there quietly with an awkward silence. "Mommy. I'm tired." Brayden stated, breaking the silence.

"Go on upstairs," said Annie. "I'll tuck you in within a few minutes."

Brayden ran towards the stairs and disappeared as he slowly ascended up them.

"I have a job interview at the Ministry next week." Percy confessed.

"That's great." Annie complimented, smiling at him.

They were silent for a couple of more minutes before either of them spoke again. "Everything will be alright with your father tomorrow," he reassured her. "I'll make sure of that."

Annie gave him a weak smile. "Thanks," she said. "We better head up to bed then. We have a big day tomorrow."

Percy nodded and then the two of them headed upstairs, Annie going to her room and Percy going to his. Annie tucked Brayden in, who slept in a little bed in her room. After she wished him goodnight, she laid down on her bed and closed her eyes. Thoughts of seeing her father ran through her mind, but this was the least of her problems. She was going to leave in a few days and Percy had no idea. How could you tell someone you were leaving after you had left the person before?


	8. Chapter 8: The Last Request

Percy Weasley walked down the main street of Diagon Alley. He had been shopping for something rather unique when a blonde woman, around the same age as Percy, and her son who appeared to be around the age of twelve years old, passed him. He stopped in his tracks and stared as the woman and young boy passed him. She looked so familiar, like a vision from his past. He decided to run after her, and as he did, he grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around.

"Annie?" he questioned. "It's me, Percy."

The honey blonde woman gave him a look of confusion and pulled her son closer to her as if protecting him from a stranger. "I'm sorry sir, but I don't know any Percy."

Percy's expression turned to one of being upset. "Percy Weasley. We played together as kids. You lived at the Burrow with your son when he was much younger. His name is Brayden." He explained, trying to make this woman understand.

"Listen. I don't know how you know my name and my son's name, but I suggest you stay away from me before my husband sees you." She threatened, grabbing her son's hand and walking away from Percy.

Just like that, Percy woke up with a start. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and chest, his shirt soaked with sweat. He just had a terrible nightmare, or was it some glimpse into the future? This woman, who looked like Annie, had a son, who looked like Brayden. She had no idea who Percy was, not even an inkling.

Percy sat up in bed, thinking about his horrible nightmare. Was it a clue to his thoughts? Perhaps it was glimpse of what would happen if he didn't confess his feelings to Annie and she walked out of his life. However, this woman seemed to not even recognize him. Perhaps this was some horrible dream where Annie had never come back into his life after those twelve years when he was twenty-three years old and he had moved back to the Burrow.

Percy knew he didn't want Annie to leave his life and never see him again. He knew he didn't want her to be married and not even remember who he was a few years down the road. He didn't want her to leave like she had done when he was eleven years old and then not see her for twelve years. He just didn't want any of that.

Percy wiped some sweat from his forehead with his hand. He turned his head to look out the window, the sun just starting to come up over the horizon and shine through his window. He knew today was the day he would go with Annie to the Ministry where they were holding her father and she would see him one last time before they executed Walden MacNair. He wanted to tell her how he truly felt about her, but he just knew today was not the day. There was already too much drama and stress on Annie's shoulders for one day.

Annie woke up quietly as the sun was starting to rise. She had barely slept, thoughts and emotions running through her mind. She was nervous about seeing her father, the one man who had abandoned her at the age of eleven: the one man who had abandoned her for evil. He was the one man who chose to love evil over her.

Annie quietly stepped out of bed, trying not to wake her son. She planned on leaving little Brayden with Charlie for the day. She trusted Charlie ever since they had worked together in Romania and had become good friends. There was just no way that she would allow her Death Eater father see her one and only son. The man didn't even deserve to see her, so why did he deserve to see his grandson too?

Annie tiptoed over to her dresser and pulled out a yellow sundress with a matching hat. If the man wanted to see her one last time, she at least planned on looking beautiful, even if her father didn't deserve to see her that way. In a way, Annie actually felt sorry for the man. The one thing he had given up so many years ago and knew he lost, would be the last thing he saw before he died, except for the flash of green light, which would end his life.

After she found the sundress and matching hat, she slid off her pajamas and put on the dress. It acted more like a disguise; hiding the broken person she had become after all these years without him. She didn't want him to know that she needed to look young and vibrant to hide her wounded soul. He was mainly the one to blame for all of her hurt and yet her father would never know because he never cared to know.

A quiet knock came from Annie's door since most of the people in the house were still sleeping, including Brayden who slept quietly in his little bed. She walked over to the door and opened it carefully so not even a creak would sound from the door. She found Percy standing in the doorway, wearing a suit as if he still worked at the Ministry alongside the Minister of Magic himself.

"You look gorgeous." He complimented in a whisper.

"Thanks," she replied. "You look like you're going to a business meeting."

"It's a habit from working at the Ministry," he grinned. "Are you ready to go?"

Annie nodded and then closed the door silently. She tiptoed down the stairs with Percy, trying to not make a single stair creak as she made her way to the main floor. They planned on using the Floo Network to reach the Ministry, just like they had for the trial. It was the most common form of transportation into the Ministry with the countless amount of fireplaces the Ministry seemed to have.

The two of them walked over to the fireplace inside of the living room and Annie stepped inside first. She grabbed a bit of the Floo Powder and shouted, "Ministry of Magic!" She threw down the powder and disappeared into a whirl of green flames. Percy copied everything Annie did, and before he knew it, the two of them were standing in the busy hallway at the Ministry of Magic.

Black marble walls with silver inlay surrounded them along with various wizards and witches scurrying around, trying to do their job. Invoices, in the form of paper airplanes, soared above their heads and a man could be heard shouting, trying to sell the newest copy of the Daily Prophet. A huge fountain squirted out water like a magical dance, while a huge banner hung from up above, a picture of the latest Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, displayed on it.

Percy grabbed Annie's hand and started pulling her away from the huge crowd of people. "We have to use the elevators to get to the dungeons where they keep criminals who are about to die," he explained, leading her to one of the various elevators available inside the Ministry.

Annie followed him as he pulled them into an elevator with many people, making it rather crowded. Some invoices flew into the elevator as Percy pushed the button for the dungeons, which was the floor at the bottom of the Ministry. The elevator door closed and then the elevator started to move backwards and then down. It made many stops at different floors and areas of the Ministry before it finally stopped at the dungeons.

The two of them stepped out of the elevator and as soon as they did, the elevator left again, taking the people left inside, to the floors they needed. As they stood there in the hallway of the dungeons, they looked around, only to see a lot of darkness. The hallway appeared dark and the only light came from the fluorescent lights in the ceiling, but some of the lights flickered while others had just burned out.

Percy held Annie's hand and they both walked along slowly as very little light illuminated them. Eventually they could see a man, dressed in all black clothes, who appeared to be waiting for them. "Annie MacNair?" The man questioned.

"Yes." Annie replied, letting go of Percy's hand.

"You may enter the room," stated the man in a low voice, gesturing his hand to the door next to him. "Your friend has to wait out here."

Annie nodded and then turned to look at Percy before walking over to the door. Percy smiled at her, giving her that reassuring look. "Good luck." He said.

She slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door. A man sat in a chair, shackled, and bonded to the chair as well. A table laid before him, with a chair on the other side of it, giving a place for Annie to sit. The room looked like the room cops use in movies to question someone except for there was no window. The light from above gave off more glow than the ones in the hallway, but still made the room look dull because of the gray paint on the walls.

Annie walked over to the chair cautiously before sitting down on it. The cold metal chair chilled her body slightly, but not as much as the appearance of her father. He sat there with his head down, hair black and scraggily with a black and white striped prisoners uniform on, one which had become worn and dirty from his time served in Azkaban. He lifted his head up slowly to look at her, his eyes gray and cold with dark circles underneath them. His face had become aged over the years, a few wrinkles on his forehead standing out from the rest of his face.

The brightest thing in the room was Annie and now her father was looking at her. He didn't say anything and neither did she. The two of them just stared at each other for several minutes. Then again, what could he possibly have to say to her? How could he apologize for everything he had done?

After those several minutes of silence, Annie took a deep breath and decided to be brave. "Why did you request to see me before you died?" She asked, wondering why he wanted to see her above all other things he could have as his final request.

Walden MacNair looked at her with his cold eyes which acted as windows to his soul. From the looks of it, his soul had become empty and dark after all those years from the life he had lived. "You were probably the only good thing I ever did in my life." He answered with a raspy sound in his voice.

"What? Creating me?" she questioned with a blank empty appearance on her face. "Just because you helped make me, doesn't make you my father. It's more like you helped make me, left when I was eleven, and half-assed your job."

"I know," he replied. "You have every right to be angry. I'm not going to say I'm sorry and ask you to forgive me. I don't deserve that and I never will."

Annie's expression changed to one of anger and hatred. "Don't. Don't you dare try to lay some guilt trip on me. You've been gone for over half of my life so don't you try to act like you know anything about me."

"It doesn't mean that I didn't try to get to know you." He stated, not turning his gaze away from her.

Annie's hate seemed to die down slightly after he said this. "What?" She questioned.

"I tried to see you many times," he answered. "Your mother always turned me away and refused to let me see you. I even sent you gifts for holidays, but I'm sure she never gave them to you."

Tears started to form in Annie's eyes as she listened to what her father had to say. "Maybe you should have tried even harder. You could have forced her to let you see me."

MacNair looked at her sincerely as if he might have actually cared about Annie and her mother at one point. "I couldn't do that," he confessed. "Your mother could have turned me in for being a Death Eater and everything would have turned out awful. If I was found out, a fellow Death Eater could have killed me or even worse, killed you or your mother. I was partially protecting you from other Death Eaters and Voldemort himself."

A tear rolled down Annie's cheek. "Why did you choose being a Death Eater over us?" She asked, needing to know the answers that constantly plagued her mind.

"The same things that drive all men to do the things they do. Money. Power. Greed. I wanted it all because I had nothing." He explained.

"Yes, you did have something. You had mum and I, and yet you threw it away," she stated, standing up from the chair. "Now you can never have us. Mum is dead and you're going to die. It's just too late."

"I know," sighed MacNair. "But I'm not sorry for having you. You were the best thing that happened to me in those eleven years."

Tears fell freely down Annie's cheeks now. She couldn't stand this anymore. She wanted to believe all the things he said, but they hurt. His words hurt her down to her very soul, which was already wounded. She quickly ran out of the room without saying goodbye. There didn't need to be any goodbyes with someone who had said goodbye twelve years ago and had left her.

Percy took Annie into his arms and held her as she cried into his chest. He rubbed her back and just tried to comfort her. He sympathized with her and he wished he could make everything better for her in a world that had been so broken. He wanted to love her the way others had neglected to do throughout the years.

The man dressed in black looked at the two of them. "Are you done ma'am?" He asked, referring to MacNair's final request of seeing her.

Annie nodded as she continued to sob into Percy's chest. The man in black entered the room, uttered the Killing Curse, and a flash of green light emanated out into the hallway. Annie's sobs became louder as she knew her father was now dead. She partially cried for the one man who had caused her so much pain, and yet she didn't know if her tears were out of sadness, regret, or happiness. She just knew her father's abandonment could no longer plague her soul with the questions of why he had never been there.

"Let's get you home." Percy suggested as he rubbed her back with one of his hands. Annie nodded and then Percy slowly walked her back to the elevator. He would lead her out of this horrible place. He would take her away from all this hurt and in a way; he would be her knight in shining armor, even if she never saw that in him. He would play the role, but little did he know, he would have to be a courageous knight in more ways then one.


	9. Chapter 9: Don't Leave Me Again

Annie remained a wreck after Percy and her returned to the Burrow. He wanted to comfort her, but she had insisted on being alone. Percy would never pressure her into wanting company, especially after an incident like that. He couldn't imagine how it must feel to never have a father around during some of the most important years of anyone's life. Then again, he had both of his parents for his whole life, and yet, he had abandoned them. Sometimes he regretted leaving them, but at the time, the wizarding world was in a weird place and he felt he had done the right thing.

Percy sat quietly in the living room, watching Charlie play with Brayden. His heart sank as he realized Brayden probably had no idea what was going on. The poor boy would never know his grandfather, father, and Percy wondered if the boy had even met his grandmother before she died. The Weasley family was probably the closest thing Brayden had to a family besides his own mother.

As Percy watched Charlie play with Brayden, his mother walked over and gave him the typical caring mother look. "You should go check on Annie." She suggested, seeing the look of distress on her son's face.

"She wants to be alone right now." Percy explained, something different in the sound of his voice as if he had changed somehow.

"If there has been one thing I've learned in life, it's that people who say they want to be alone, usually need someone there the most." Mrs. Weasley stated, looking at her son with kindness and wisdom.

Percy nodded and rose from his seat. "Thanks mum." He said graciously. He then made his way over to the staircase, stepping up the stairs and going to Annie's room, which once had belonged to him. He knocked on the door quietly before opening the door and stepping inside of her room. Percy looked around the room to see Annie laying on her bed and various items on the floor. He wondered if she had tried to trash her room in emotional outrage.

"Annie?" he questioned, walking over to her bed and kneeling down in front of her. He noticed her eyes were red, her hair messy, and she was just kind of blankly staring at him. "I came to check on you."

Annie sat up quietly as she looked at Percy with complete sorrow and anguish in her eyes. Percy stood up and sat down next to her, rubbing her back gently with his hand. "It's alright. He can't hurt you anymore." He explained, trying to make Annie feel better about her father.

"It doesn't matter. He's damaged me enough for a lifetime and then some," she confessed. "That's why I've decided I don't belong here. I'm going to leave soon." She finally admitted to him.

Percy's heart sank, this time like a bowling ball sinking to the bottom of the ocean. He didn't want her to leave, and yet he didn't have the courage to tell her he wanted her to stay. She was broken, and in his mind, he didn't know how to fix her. Percy knew that asking her to stay was not the solution, but he knew letting her go wasn't the solution either. Her father's trial had messed up the timing royally, but Percy wondered if there would ever be a right time considering how he had been throughout his life.

"When are you leaving?" He asked quietly as if more words would only break his heart.

"Whenever it's convenient for me." She answered, not even looking at him.

Percy wondered what she meant by convenient, but he figured her leaving wouldn't be sometime soon. He just wanted to tell her how he felt so badly, but he couldn't. He felt like a coward so he stood up from her bed and walked over to the doorway. "I hope you feel better soon." He stated, looking at her one last time. Then, he walked out of her room making the hugest mistake of his life: not asking her to stay.

*****************************************************

The next day, Mrs. Weasley had been downstairs preparing breakfast. She normally was the first one up because she had to feed her husband and children. Mr. Weasley sat at the kitchen table, drinking a bit of tea before heading off to work at the Ministry. Percy and George also sat at the table, rubbing their eyes and yawning since they had just woken up minutes ago. The only ones missing from the picture were Charlie, Annie, and Brayden.

As part of the Weasley family sat at the table, Charlie came running down the stairs with a letter in his hand. He ran over to his mother and handed her the piece of paper. Mrs. Weasley scanned it for a moment before looking up at her family and focusing her eyes on Percy. "She's gone." She uttered quietly.

Percy snatched the piece of paper from his mother and read it over.

_I'm sorry to leave on such short notice and I appreciate everything you have all done for us, but I'm leaving. My aunt has always offered us a place to stay with her in France. Please forgive me for any pain I may have caused any of you and I hope one day you will understand why I had to leave._

Percy looked up from the letter with shock on his face. He turned to his mother and knew exactly what he had to do. "Mum. I need your help." He confessed.

******************************************

Percy ran frantically through the train station, trying to make it to King's Cross, hoping Annie would still be there. He didn't want her to go to France and he wanted her to stay in his life. He wasn't about to lose her because he never said what he truly meant to say in the first place.

As he made it to King's Cross, he ran around manically, bumping into various strangers while he tried to search for her. The crowd swamped him like the human population had been nothing more then a plague, a plague trying to stop him from doing one thing. People cursed insults at him as he bumped into them, but he paid no attention. He ran up and down the edge of the train, trying to see if she had already boarded it, but he did not see her. It was as if she had been lost in the crowd.

Finally, after about half of the people had boarded the train to France, Percy spotted a woman with honey-blonde hair who carried a boy in her arms. Percy started to run over to her, his heart pounding in his chest for fear of losing her and from his exhausting search. "ANNIE!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to do anything to stop her.

The woman turned around, her long blond hair whipping around with her, just like on that hill when Annie was saying goodbye to Percy. She stood there and stared at Percy, representing all things Annie and all the things Percy had wanted. He finally reached her and his heart didn't slow down, running a million miles a second because he knew he had to tell her everything he never had said before.

"What are you doing here?" Annie asked with a dumbfounded look on her face.

"I don't want you to leave." Percy admitted, trying to catch his breath.

"I have to." She said with tears forming in her eyes as if she had never wanted any of these long goodbyes.

"You can't get on that train." He said sternly.

"And why not?" She asked, wanting him to give her a reason.

Percy inhaled a deep breath and looked into her eyes. "I love you," he confessed. "And as corny as it sounds, I think I loved you even when you were that little girl on that hill with your hair blowing in the wind."

A tear rolled down Annie's cheek as she looked back into Percy's eyes, not pulling away from his gaze. "I'm not that little girl anymore." She explained.

"It doesn't matter. I'm not the same Percy, but we still embody all the things we were at that age," he explained. "There is just no way I'm letting you leave."

Tears flowed down Annie's cheeks now. "Shut up," she demanded. "Just shut up."

Percy stood there silently and looked into her eyes. He felt hurt by her demands, but he didn't know what else to do. He wanted her to stay and as he was thinking, Annie's lips came crashing onto his. He kissed her back passionately and smiled as he kissed her, completely ignoring the fact that Brayden had still been in one of her arms. "Ewww." Brayden said disgusted, being forced to watch the two of them kiss up close.

Percy and Annie pulled away and chuckled slightly, but then Percy went silent again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something, which he hid in his clasped hand. He looked into Annie's eyes and took her free hand into his own. "I know I may not be the greatest person in the world, or the richest since I don't have a job at the moment, but I would like to take care of you," he started, giving her a speech. "I know I'm not Brayden's father either, but I would like to try to be. I just know that I don't want to lose that eleven-year-old girl from on that hill ever again. I don't want to have to wait to see her for another twelve years. I want to see her everyday."

With that said, Percy got down on one knee and opened up his hand, revealing a ring which happened to be his mother's engagement ring. "Will you marry me?" He asked, looking at her with such love and compassion.

Annie smiled at him and looked at Brayden. "What do you think kiddo? Should I?" She asked her son.

"Yeah!" He exclaimed in excitement, even though he probably didn't know what was going on.

Annie looked at Percy and smiled. "Yes. I will marry you." She answered.

Percy stood up and placed the ring on her finger. "You scared me there for a moment." He confessed, feeling very relieved at this point because he had told her everything.

"Well, you know me. I have to uphold my trouble maker name." She grinned and joked.

Percy chuckled and kissed her on the lips, having to hear Brayden give his opinion about the whole kissing thing again.

***************************

Two years later, Percy Weasley is walking down the main street in Diagon Alley. People are bustling around him, trying to get the best deals at shops or talking to people they know and ran into. As he's walking, he passes a woman who is vaguely familiar to him, her honey blonde hair whipping in the wind. She's holding the hand of a little boy and Percy realizes both of them look rather familiar.

Once Percy spots them, he runs after them, grabbing the woman's arm and turning her around. "Annie?" he questions. "It's me. Percy."

The woman holds onto her son's hand as if she's protecting him from a complete stranger. "I don't know any Percy and I don't know how you know my name, but I suggest you leave before my husband comes back." She threatened.

"Oh, I'm so scared." Percy taunted, grinning and pulling Annie in for a kiss. She kissed him back and smiled at him, the two of them obviously playing some joke.

Percy leaned down and kissed Annie's belly where her stomach had become a slight bulge. "You're going to be a prefect, Head Girl, and a Triwizard champion." Percy said, talking into Annie's belly.

Annie looked down at Percy and laughed slightly. "Don't pressure the poor baby before she's even born!" She exclaimed.

Percy stood back up and looked Annie in the eyes, smiling at her. "I just want her to be everything her mother is." After he said this, he kissed Annie on the lips lovingly. He didn't have to worry about losing Annie for another twelve years because he saw her everyday. His horrible dream of her not knowing him while walking down Diagon Alley never came true. The only thing that did come true was the desires of Percy's heart and he loved the one woman who had stole his heart when he was a little kid. Yes, Percy loved the one woman with honey blonde hair who had stolen his heart that day on the hill. His heart belonged to Annie and no one else.


End file.
